


Ryoma X Reina

by Nispedana



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/M, Female Ryoma, Friendship, Gen, Gender Bender, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-20
Updated: 2013-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-29 20:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/323744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nispedana/pseuds/Nispedana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fem! Ryoma. 'Ryoma', was the 'Rising Star' in the tennis world, 'Reina' was a very popular school girl. Both are different versions of a single person.'Ryoma' used to dominate, but will that change once our heroine falls in love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preparation

**Thank you for clicking lol! Banzai for those who read fem! Ryoma fics~! XD For those who didn't, I would deeply appreciate it if you give my stories a shot! ^^  
**

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 **Disclaimer:** I WISH I own Price of Tennis

"This is someone's words out loud." | ' _This is someone's thoughts.' |_ "This is in English"

 

 

 

* * *

...

* * *

**CHAPTER I: Exploring Tokyo - Preparation**

It was a refreshing and sunny Saturday morning then in Tokyo, and fortunately it did not exclude a small temple strategically placed above a hill. Its surrounding area, as in many others, was covered with an utterly heavenly atmosphere: an ideal setting to wake up to- indeed, and when the heroine finally decided to wake up from her long slumber, she could not feel any better.

A pretty young girl (who had been asleep since 5pm the previous day) with silky greenish-black hair, alluring golden eyes (and height that she wasn't particularly proud of), yawned as she stretched her arms as far as she could... smiling for the good mood from the dream she just had. It was wonderful: she had _finally_ beat the crap out of her father and brother.

"Ah…" She smiled confidently and talked to her sleeping cat. _Soon…_

" _Meow_ " The cat lazily replied, just waking up from the sound of its master's voice. She laughed and she patted his head, telling him how much of a good boy he was. _'You're going to get a treat.'_ She told the feline internally and he meowed as if he replied to her thoughts. Her gaze softened even more and she lifted the cat effortlessly, and they both walked to the window to look at the sky.

It was a refreshing and sunny Saturday morning at a place she had never been to before. How could she stay _possibly_ indoors?

 

**...**

"Going to do some exploring, Reina?" Her mother, Rinko, asked as she eyed her daughter when she went down. Her eyes twitched immediately. "Cross-dressing _again_?" She exclaimed, troubled by how un-girly her daughter was. "I will not allow it, Reina. You're _twelve_ now. And a _girl, at that._ Start dressing like one. "

Reina groaned in irritation- she liked dressing up liked a boy; it was much more comfortable. Stares of girls were definitely less annoying than men's. Other than that there's the fact that, unlike her (much to her dismay), her brother outgrew his outfits quite quickly. And her brother had a _walking closet_ full of clothes. So his garments were barely used. And they were all branded, too.

After she finally overgrew the clothes herself- which took a depressing amount of time- well, she sold them via the internet. 'E-bay is my friend.' was her motto.

_Oh, how many gallons of ice cream she could buy with a pair of_ **_shorts_** …

"But _why_ do I have to dress like a girl, then…?" She asked professionally, trying to reason with her mother.

"That's just the way it is!" Her mother replied. Then when she realized that Reina was going to say something complicated, she cut her off. "And don't ' _it's the 21_ _st_ _century and there ought to be new customs'_ me, young lady!"

Rinko internally sighed. She didn't really mind at first because her daughter was so adorable no matter what she wore. But now that she's a young teen... she already had her 1st period a month ago, too- **GAH!** She knew she'd regret letting the boys of the house take care of her wardrobe. It was just that her career peaked during her... developmental years, and Rinko was certain her absence had a huge bearing on why her little girl grew up like this. _  
_

But it wasn't the only one.

Rinko was very disturbed now. Her daughter being such a big tomboy was already a problem, and _that_ just had to happen. She knew her daughter would get over it (eventually) but she couldn't let her daughter continue on this streak. It was the main reason they went back to Japan. Reina had gotten tired of the life she had there, it was time to make her feel like the normal teenage girl that she was. And hence, Rinko had no choice but to use her final and strongest weapon.

"Please, Reina…?" Rinko asked her daughter in a sweet voice partnered by her famous puppy dog eyes "…for Okaa-chwan?"

Reina eyes only widened on the outside, even when internally she was yelling in despair. _'Oh hell no- Not the Puppy dog look!_ _'_

' _What do I do? What do I do? WHAT DO I_ DO _?'._ Since the incident a few months back, she never wore girl's clothing.

Rinko had let her pass for a few months, but now that she had retired from her work in the law department... she was determined to help her daughter get back to the right path. Besides, her daughter had _never_ refused her before- she was certain the girl wouldn't start now.

Reina, on the other hand, was grimacing. What was her mother _thinking_? This was a place she never explored before. For it was true that she knew how to defend herself, one never really knows what might happen. Surely, her mother wouldn't be so confident as to let her go looking like a _girl_?

She didn't like attention, that was for certain. Primarily because it was the cause _most_ of her troubles after her best friends had left. The exemption was cooking, though... she lived to eat, not cook. And there were a lot of things that happened in her childhood that were fixed a year prior, making all her irritation of dressing up as a girl somewhat diminish.

After all, she met _them_ again- after so many years. She felt... protected again.

But in the end, her dressing up like a vulnerable little girl was big mistake.

She literally shuddered at the memory.

_-Flashback-_

" _Come one, Reina, honey, go out with me. " A rather good-looking young lad asked (or more accurately, ordered) her as he held her chin tilting her face upward._

_Oh, how she wanted to_ strangle _the arrogant bastard._

_Well, she_ tried.

_Luck simply wasn't on her side that day... as always, but she somewhat hoped that day was an exemption. The arrogant bastard was hailed_ the _strongest martial artist on their age group in the states, unfortunately, and what made it worse was that four of his cronies were watching in the sidelines with rather amused smiles._

_If only mass murder wasn't illegal. Well, massacre sounded more fitting then._

_If only massacre wasn't illegal…_

" _Go to hell." She replied coolly followed by one of her trademark glares. _

_Intimidated, his hold on her chin slightly got loose. Reina took advantage and swiftly stepped back, ready to dash away, when the arrogant bastard got a hold of her arms and_ kissed _her._

_He could feel it- the lingering taste of utter disgust.  
_

_She could only curse the gods for letting this happen to her.  
_

_-End of Flashback-  
_

She gagged mentally. Where was that repression of memories when she needed it? Indeed, she got _kissed_ by one of the most disgusting creatures she would ever meet- and when she meant 'most disgusting creature' she wasn't exaggerating.

That guy's smell- it reeked of his sick attitude and personality. What was worse was that he was totally full of himself, in a blind way, and he did not know when to stop bugging Reina- no matter how sharp her words got. The guy believed she was just playing hard to get.

And she attracted a lot of similar guys, as a supposedly uninteresting 12 year old. And truth be told, they were _very_ dangerous admirers. But that guy certainly took the cake.

The revenge she did to him wasn't even close to 'satisfying'.

_-Flashback-  
_

_Everything turned red after the kiss and what soon became massacre (with the victims still err… alive… sort of) started with a strong and clean uppercut. What happened afterwards was a blur to Reina, and censored for the readers._

_And with that, Echizen Reina (technically) became the strongest martial artist in her age group in the whole of the United States._

_**...**  
_

_Sigh_

Anyone would find it odd that a physically undeveloped 12-year old- that was, vertically challenged and no sex appeal at all- would have a lot of stalkers. She attributed it to her face, and while everyone else knew she looked like an angel, it was still true that she looked a lot like a rising star in the tennis scene - Echizen Ryoma. Which, unfortunately, was the reason she had to cross-dress in the first place. It depressed her that people could have somehow recognized her and started following...

Which led going back to the question: _What was Rinko THINKING_?

_"Awchoo!"_

Rinko wiped her nose to comfort herself. Her daughter, who was standing a few meters away from her, must have been cursing her with her mind. But she shrugged in the end, she believed this was the best course of action.

Besides,she assumed (correctly, probably) that Japan was in general, safer. The place was also less liberal than USA. Her brother and 2 best friends that protected and sheltered her back then were all also here in Japan, not that she knew though. While her brother returned to her a few years back, she certainly had no idea that her friends were there in _Japan. A_ nd she wasn't planning on telling her, either.

Rinko recalled how cute the four of them doing practically _everything_ together. At least one of the boys always accompanied her every time they were kids were strong, both physically and mentally… which showed in their presence. The boys, regrettably, even ensured that no one was acting 'suspicious' around their princess. This limited the number of new friends she had, yes, but she didn't mind… since they friends she _did_ make made up for quality. Reina, being around 7 years old, was rather oblivious to the guards and the wall of protection they made around her.

And when they had to leave, her daughter went in for the shock of her life: Fan clubs became aggressive and admirers popping up as if some supposedly nonexistent balloon of hope suddenly appeared before them.

Yes, it was a shock. And being a good judge of character, the girl knew most of them only saw her either for her face or her last name. So she barely made any new friends. What was worse was that she even had a hard time making her tennis and/or music buddies look at her for the skills she loved and worked hard for.

She started dressing up like a boy for good because it keeps the most dangerous fans away. She even invented a sort of disguise to protect her even when she was in girl's clothes. She looked down on the girl and that look in her eyes told her she just thought of the same thing.

She groaned.

*Several Minutes Later*

Reina now wore a plain white t-shirt partnered with khaki Capri pants. Her long silky hair was now held together by a ponytail, and her beautiful golden orbs- along with half her face- was cover by those _huge_ fake opaque eyeglasses.

"I'll be back in the afternoon, then." She stated as she turned to the door. Rinko panicked for a moment and stopped her. There was one other problem her daughter had-

"You're not gonna bring your brother with you? I'd go wake him up." Rinko offered.

She was certain the girl would get lost.

Her daughter, even with her incredible instincts and reflexes, was err… cursed with a defective sense of direction. The girl wasn't born with it, though... but unfortunately, it could not be cured anymore. Damages had been done.

Reina sighed.

"He must be tired." Reina just replied noticing that her mother was lost in her thoughts _again._ "We just got here last night from the states after all. Unlike me, who could sleep anywhere, he seemed to have this troublesome need to be in a bed. I doubt he got any sleep during the flight. Plus, I bet he's the one who carried me to my room, right? "

Her mother nodded, and decided not to question her any further. Reina was definitely determined to explore, the weather was too good to let pass. "Very well, but you have to wait here for several minutes until I say you can go."

"What for?" Reina asked stoically. Her mother smiled.

"I'd like make a few calls first."

And that she did, for a few minutes she stared at the ceiling and her mother joined her for several minutes that came after. She muttered something about her just sitting still and wait for the doorbell to ring.

_Ding Dong_

"You can go now."Her mother literally shooed her

"Huh?"

"I'm saying get the door and _then_ go adventuring."

"Oh." Reina stood up. "I'm off, then."

She apathetically walked to the door but just as she opened it, something suddenly bear-hugged her.

"WAAAAAAAAH!" A petite girl with long brown hair cried.

"REEIIIINAAAAA! I mishydyuuuuuuuuuuSOoooo much!"

"Sakuno." She called coolly her overly dramatic friend. "We just met a month ago, remember?"

"Well…" She frowned "That's not why I was hurt. I mean, how _could_ you not tell me you're in Japan? Huh?" It was a rhetorical question, though so she cut Reina when she was about to answer.

"No, Reina. DON'T YOU _DARE_ SAY YOU WANT TO SURPRISE ME! I know you, you probably just thought it was too troublesome." Reina stared at the statement, it _was_ actually. _.._ true. Why call when you would see each other soon enough, anyway?

"SEE?" Sakuno exclaimed holding her arms in the air making her point. "That and…" The brunette breathed and then continued, "…how _could_ you suddenly retire from the American tennis scene without even telling me?"

' _Oh dear, here she go again with her nonsense arguments.'_ Of course she'd retire from the American tennis scene since they are moving to Japan.

Reina knew Sakuno only became this… noisy when she was with her. So she just let it slide and let her one and only female best friend talk. Reina knew Sakuno would continue with her uncharacteristic nagging for a while so Reina decided that they start walking as her friend... monologues.

 

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER I**

_Coming Soon:  
_ CHAPTER II: Exploring Tokyo Day 1!

* * *

**...**

* * *

I know it wasn't much of a pilot, but please continue reading.

Ah! But before that...  
Please tell me what you thought! :D

It was a refreshing and sunny Saturday morning then in Tokyo, and fortunately it did not exclude a small temple strategically placed above a hill. Its surrounding area, as in many others, was covered with an utterly heavenly atmosphere: an ideal setting to wake up to- indeed, and when the heroine finally decided to wake up from her long slumber, she could not feel any better.

A pretty young girl (who had been asleep since 5pm the previous day) with silky greenish-black hair, alluring golden eyes (and height that she wasn't particularly proud of), yawned as she stretched her arms as far as she could... smiling for the good mood from the dream she just had. It was wonderful: she had _finally_ beat the crap out of her father and brother.

"Ah…" She smiled confidently and talked to her sleeping cat. _Soon…_

" _Meow_ " The cat lazily replied, just waking up from the sound of its master's voice. She laughed and she patted his head, telling him how much of a good boy he was. _'You're going to get a treat.'_ She told the feline internally and he meowed as if he replied to her thoughts. Her gaze softened even more and she lifted the cat effortlessly, and they both walked to the window to look at the sky.

It was a refreshing and sunny Saturday morning at a place she had never been to before. How could she stay _possibly_ indoors?


	2. Exploring Tokyo - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reina and Sakuno goes to the tennis courts to meet a monkey.

Disclaimer: I WISH I own Price of Tennis

"This is someone speaking out loud."

'This is someone's thoughts.'

 ~~...................................................................................................................................................................................................................~~

 **Chapter II: Exploring Tokyo – Day 1**

 **  
**

"So… how did the media take it?" Sakuno asked out of nowhere. Reina, who seem to have developed a certain sense that alarms her when to start listening to the brunette, lazily replied "They didn't. We were probably already here when they found out we were gone."

That and, although she didn't know, her parents used their influence to get out of the country without anyone knowing. Their house in the US, after all, was paparazzi-proof. And well, uninvited media people in general.

Sakuno 'Oohhed' at her answer and then, out of curiosity, asked, "How do you think they _would've_ reacted?"

"They'll make a fuss, I'm sure. But me being a 'rising star' or a 'child prodigy' would be a small part of it. The headlines would probably be ' _The third prodigy of the samurai clan retires!'_ or something like that."

"You underestimate yourself." Sakuno pronounced.

"No, I don't. " Reina replied with certainty.

"If you say so…" The brunette reluctantly agreed, her friend is one of the most stubborn people in the world, after all. "So where do you want to go?"

"The tennis courts." Ryoma replied as quickly as the question was uttered. Sakuno giggled.

"I shouldn't have asked."

* * *

They hopped on the commuter train and sat side-by-side. There were relatively few passengers today so they could have ample space between them. Just when Sakuno was about to open a topic, 3 high school students entered the train and positioned themselves standing on the train's isle.

Sakuno thought it was awkward to have a conversation right in front of the very intimidating looking boys, so they stayed quiet the whole trip.

Well, almost.

It started out as a peaceful trip for Reina, since she could easily tune out all the noise from the older boys. But then a member of the trio, who has long brown fly-away hair and a below average face, started bragging about tennis. Reina ignored them at first since she did want to avoid unnecessary conflicts, she loved tennis and she likes sending guys like these who blemish the fine, fine image of her love to the deepest parts of hell.

Of course, she isn't a war freak so she tried hard not to listen to the annoying braggart.

Since then, she perpetually tried to coax herself, and she was almost successful, too… until the monkey-faced guy started touching more of her nerves. He suddenly demonstrated his false 'knowledge' of tennis grips. The racket is getting much too close to her best friend's face. And Sakuno, being a timid (well, most of the time), couldn't say anything.

"Oi. Monkey-face." She called looking straight at the demonstrating teen. "Tennis rackets are used to hit _tennis balls,_ not faces." She stated, looking indifferent as always.

The monkey's eye twitched in annoyance and was about to say something lame when one of his friends unknowingly saved him (from humiliation for the time being, anyway) by telling him to calm down. But Ryoma would not let him get away with his arrogance, of course. Only one inhumanely pompous individual on a train is enough.

"Oh. What's that crawling in your right arm?" She asked feigning innocence. The monkey immediately dropped the racket and searched frantically for whatever is crawling in his arm.

Nothing. The monkey looked at her with an annoyed expression and she just smirked arrogantly. One of the monkey's friends snickered. The monkey now blushed in humiliation and anger. Sakuno was a bit worried now… she knew her friend can be _very_ arrogant when it comes to things she loves, but _this_ is just a potential hazard.

The humiliated monkey quickly grabbed his racket on the floor and was gesturing to threaten Reina with his racket when she suddenly said noticeably mocking the guy "That's right." She leered and pointed at his racket. _'The joy of annoying annoying people…'_ "That's the western grip. The grip that is held as if you're picking it up. The eastern grip is held as if you're shaking hands."

"T-THAT DOES IT. " her victim was now visually half-crazy with anger. He was about to hit Reina with a racket when both of his friends got in time to stop him.

One of them yelled at him. "S-Sasabe! What the hell! Do you _want_ to get us in trouble?" while other one was obviously still dumbstruck as to what his friend almost did to a kid, and a _girl_ at that.

Sasabe breathed heavily and then exhaled. "Gomen. Gomen. Did I scare you?" He laughed half-heartedly, still visually mad. "I was just scaring the kid off, you know." He lied. But his friends just let go of him anyway and led him to the door as the train finally stops.

* * *

" _Sheesh_ , Reina. You almost got sent to the hospital for those little _impulses_ of yours!" Sakuno vehemently declares as they were walking to the courts..

"You're 13 years old Sakuno, but you sound just like my mother." She replied lazily. And just continued walking while Sakuno was stopped in her tracks.

"REINA!" She called for the friend who's pretty much ignoring her. _'GAH!'_ she shouted inwardly. _She's going to get herself killed someday because of her love of tennis.'_ she concluded grimly.

* * *

"Here." Sakuno said as she handed the ice-cold grape Ponta to the anticipating Reina.

She thanked Sakuno and asked her what she was drinking. "Broccoli juice " Sakuno answered.

"Oh?" She questioned curiously. Being a food lover, she wondered how it'd taste… ' _Next time…'_ She promised herself.

After finishing her drink, she thought that the rest of the day would be relatively peaceful and bug-free.

Well, at least that's what she _thought_

"Ara. Ara." arrogantly said by an annoyingly familiar voice. She looked behind her and Sakuno, and there they were.

"Ei. Monkey face. " She greeted coolly.

"Tsk." Sasabe, angry yet again clenched his fist towards Reina in a vain attempt to intimidate the girl.

"Sasabe…" Called one of his friends. _'not again…'_

Sasabe, as stupid as he was, wasn't going to let a kid get to his nerves (she already did, baka) especially when he's in front of his friends.

"Hai, hai. Let's get going to my match now. A _kid_ wouldn't understand how important a _real_ tennis match is." He looked haughtily at Reina.

Reina's eye twitched. ' _He, the oh so untalented one, belittled ME in_ tennis _?.'_

"Uh oh" Sakuno muttered suddenly felt sorry for the poor monkey.

"Ne"Reina called as the trio was walking away. "Want me to teach you how to play tennis?"

* * *

Sasabe didn't stand a chance, his friends incredulously admitted. Sasabe is still in denial though. To be beaten _that_ bad by a 13 year old _girl_ …

One of Sasabe's cronies pointed at their friend who was now crouched on the courts breathing heavily, wide-eyed. "I think we should get him professional help as soon as we can." The other one nodded and they each took Sasabe's arms to their shoulders.

Before they went out the courts they looked at the tiny figure of the girl who defeated Sasabe. She was now talking with her friend from the train and an older woman in a pink jersey. _She wasn't even sweating._

' _WHAT A MONSTER.'_ They thought syn-chronically.

* * *

"What's with the hideous glasses?" the old woman frowned. "It hides your pretty face."

"That's the point." She declared. The woman just stared at her for a while then muttered "No surprise there." The old woman laughed at her own comment. _'Grandma…'_ Sakuno thought somewhat embarrassed at the noise her grandmother was making.

This was the first time the old woman saw the girl in this err… mode. But she could immediately conclude that Reina was comfortable with herself right now.

Indeed, this is the most comfortable get-up Reina could come up with. But sad to say the glasses, even without any grade, still hinders the light entering the eyes to a certain degree. There's a small chance her vision will be affected if she uses it too often.

That's how cross-dressing became the next best thing.

...

A few minutes of chatting later, the old woman's phone rang.

After a somewhat… emotional exchange, the old woman finally puts down her phone and tells her granddaughter excitedly "We have to go to your aunt right _now."_

"Eh? Why?" Sakuno questioned.

"Your Aunt Cecil is going to labor."

"EH!" Sakuno clasped her hands together happily.

"Congratulations" Reina said.

And then old woman asked, as if forgot she was there, "Want to come with us…? I don't recommend it, though. You'll be waiting for hours."

"No thanks, Sensei. I'd like to stay here."

"Okay then. Take care kiddo." The old woman waved hurriedly.

Sakuno bear hugged Reina swiftly. "Sorry about this, Reina … See at school in 2 days." She apologized and quickly ran to her excited grand mother.

"I'm going to be a great grandmother!" The woman shouted, much to her granddaughter's embarrassment...

Again.

.

.

 **END OF CHAPTER 2**

 **COMING SOON:**

 **-CHAPTER 2:** Exploring Tokyo- Day 1 (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: E. Reina and T. Kunimitsu pairing for the next chapter. I had to spoil since their meeting was supposed to be in this chapter but then I thought it was better to cut it the way I did. So there.


	3. Exploring Tokyo - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when our heroine meets a certain stoic tennis club captain...?

**Disclaimer:** I WISH I own Price of Tennis

* * *

_._

* * *

**CHAPTER III: Exploring Tokyo –Day 1 Part II**

PUBLIC TENNIS COURTS

It was still sunny, much to Reina's relief. After Sakuno and Sumire- san left, she took a little stroll.

Her mother asked her to come back before dinner and she was planning to do just that. She looked at her clock _'10:30 am'_ it indicated. There's plenty of time to spare.

' _What to do... what to do…'_ she chanted as she wandered around. She noted that the vending machines are quite far apart from each other…

Leave it to Reina to notice those things. _'I wonder how many Pontas each of them has.'_ She pondered.

After pondering about the quantity of Ponta in each vending machine, she decides to walk around and watch ongoing tennis matches. Her eyes would leave the courts practically as soon as she laid eyes on them. _'Tsk. What boring matches…" she complained._

She continued to walk around hoping that she would encounter _something_ interesting.

Then, she heard it.

It was the sound made by a tennis ball and a tennis racket when they make contact at precisely the right places, at precisely the right moment. With that, she knew immediately that she was walking towards an amazing player.

* * *

Tezuka Kunimitsu was bored. It was Saturday and he would've preferred that he stay home. He still has quite a bit of work to finish before Monday, the start of classes.

He was planning on doing his assignments in academics, student council, and fixing certain issues in the tennis club. Yes, he had a lot of work to do. Wasting his time outside, when he should be doing other things, and hitting a tennis ball for an hour on the wall can be quite stressful. What was his mother _thinking_?

* * *

TEZUKA HOUSEHOLD

.

Tezuka Ayana was 45 years old and was getting younger. At least, that's what she believes…

Ayana was one of those people who believe that age depends on a person's state of mind. So yes, she IS getting younger. She is a now a very young woman, indeed!

Well… Compared to her son, anyway.

Kunimitsu was his grandfather's favorite, and was raised by him for most of his childhood. The old man believed that Ayana wouldn't be able to raise his grandchild the way he wanted to, so he took the liberty to take him into custody until he was 13 years old.

Old man Kunikazu was a very conservative and traditional man. He is firm on his beliefs and is incurably close-minded. His concept of strength was having a devoid of emotions. And he wanted everyone, with his blood, strong.

And so a family without emotions was born.

Much to her dismay, her son was said to be one of the 'strongest' in their family. His lack of emotion and will to enjoy life was worse than his father...

Ayana married Kuniharu because of her nearly unconditional love for him. She didn't really understand herself, but it has something to do with wanting to change him for the better.

And she wanted to be the one to change him.

Yes, it was sappy. But who doesn't want to have a _effect_ on the person they love?

She only managed to make him smile occasionally. That's that. She works hard year after year only to get her husband to open up, but she reaps only minimal results. She still loves him, don't get her wrong. It's just a bit depressing how serious Kuniharu is about everything…

And Tezuka is even more Stoic than his father.

Having the thought that her son would never smile like a normal person terrified Ayana making her determined to do something about her son's predicament. Albeit he seemed a bit happier now, thanks to tennis and his team, he still lacks the joy she wanted him to experience. Kunimitsu, as he is now, only smiles through his eyes. And even those moments were pretty rare.

So she decided to make a move.

* * *

_(flashback)_

" _B-But MOTHER!" Her son tried to reason out as he is being pushed towards the door. "I have so many things to take care of before the class starts!" He exclaimed. Although in his case, 'exclaim' means his eyebrows meet and the volume of his voice is a_ little _louder than normal._

" _Oh don't you say you're BUSY! I know you could finish everything tomorrow." Ayana yelled. "The weather is so good today!" She muttered and opened the door. "Go enjoy yourself." She said as she literally shoved her son outside the door._

_Kunimitsu just sighed and went to the gate._

_Then Ayana remembered how much of a workaholic her son is. She took a hold of the bag beside the door and shouted at him before he exited the yard:_

" _NO going to libraries or anywhere else wherein you're planning to do your work!" She threw him his tennis bag. "I trust that you will do only tennis and other, preferably the other, recreational activities for today, Kunimitsu. AND DON'T COME BACK BEFORE DINNER!"_

_Then she closed the door with a satisfied smile._

_(End of flashback)_

* * *

DEEP INSIDE THE PUBLIC TENNIS COURTS

She saw him. He had an extraordinary tennis form. He receives the ball coming from the wall with grace she so rarely witness. He was tall and good-looking: He had silky light brown hair partnered with eyes of the same color but with a lighter shade. _'He looks like a high school student._ ' Reina even assumed.

She continued to watch him in the side, careful not to get noticed. She was good at hiding her presence, a skill vital to girl with crazy fan clubs.

As she watched him, she concluded many things. She knew that this guy has a passion for tennis, even when he looks bored. Heck _'He probably_ thinks _he's bored right now.'_ She deduced.

Soon enough, he noticed her. _'Oh… He's sensitive.'_ Reina thought admiringly.

He just stared at her, waiting for her to say something. But for a few moments, she just stared back. She looked at his beautiful yet emotionless brown eyes, and she knew immediately what he needed.

"Ne..." She finally said in her trademark tone "You look bored, play with me."

* * *

"6 games to 3. You win." She muttered. He smiled a little with his eyes, getting Reina to smile back. The game took 40 minutes to finish. Reina was breathing heavily, still surprised at how good her opponent was. She definitely did her best and she just _knew_ he held back. She didn't know why, but she wasn't offended. She just felt that he wasn't willingly holding back.

"Well, that was amusing." She coolly said as she stood up straight and went to the net. "Indeed." Tezuka agreed and did the same. Both of them admitted to themselves that their opponent was indeed exceptional and that it was definitely a great game. It was the first time for both of them to have such an unusually amusing game with a stranger. They wanted to get the other's contact number so that they could do it again.

It was Tezuka who initiated "It was a great game. Mind if we play again sometime in the future?" He asked as stoic as ever.

"Not at all. In fact, I was about to propose the same thing." She replied coolly.

Tezuka noted that he was unusually happy with the stranger's reply. He just attributed it to the good game they just had. "Tezuka Kunimitsu." He blurted out, startled at himself for being so eager to introduce himself… and find out the strange girl's identity. The girl's expression softened, much to Tezuka's mysterious delight, and told him her name.

' _Echizen Reina. Reina… a pretty name that suits h-'_ he thought but then swiftly catching himself. He was going to have a headache, he was sure. So, He tried to push all the alien thoughts away.

"So, how do we contact each other?" Reina asked suddenly remembering that she broke her phone, by accidentally dropping it on the stairs, before they left for Japan because they were in such a hurry. "I no longer have a mobile phone…" she somewhat whispered.

Disappointed that he wouldn't be able to contact her with a handy mobile phone, he just offered "What about e-mail?"

She nodded, and they exchanged their email adds.

* * *

They walked to the court's gate together, but what baffled both of them was that they were going to the same direction even after they already said 'good-bye'.

"'Where to?" She asked. She was going to get a can of Ponta. Tezuka replied by pointing at the vending machine. "Ah, so we're going to the same spot, then."

When they reached the machine in question, she saw that the counter under 'Ponta' indicated that there was only a single can left. _'Oh… This might be my lucky day.'_ She thought satisfyingly. But, when she was about to open her drink she noted that Tezuka looked at it for a moment and she saw some kind of instantaneous disappointment in his eyes.

"You like Ponta?" She inquired. This startled Tezuka a bit since her question caught her off guard, not that anyone but Ayana, Inui, Fuji, and Reina would have noticed. He was about to lie when he felt something cold being pushed to his stomach.

"Here." The girl offered her Ponta by softly pushing it to him. "I was thinking of trying something else, anyway." Tezuka blushed for a bit (although it was so faint, only Ayana would see), and was about to say something to politely refuse her offer when she put the can in his hands and took his coin as payment.

Before he knew it she was holding a green can with the name "Broccoli juice" embedded on it.

"Seriously?" He asked incredulously. The girl just pouted (You know, as 'pouty' as Reina could anyway) and answered: "What? I was curious on how it would taste… "

Tezuka, also curious, just watched the girl to see her reaction. The girl was visibly pleasantly surprised at the taste of the mysterious beverage, much to _his_ delight. "Honey… They added sweet, _sweet_ honey! "She exclaimed so enthusiastically that he couldn't help but feel her joy.

The girl offered him her drink, catching him off-guard. "Taste it! It's even tastier than I thought!" She proposed with such anticipation that he couldn't refuse.

And it did taste good, much to Tezuka's surprise. He just nodded, looking as stoic as usual, in agreement. Reina then took her can back and he watched her drink her new found favorite, then it hit him.

_They just had an indirect kiss!_

* * *

"What's wrong Tezuka-san?" She asked as she drunk her 3rd can of broccoli juice. "You haven't touched your Ponta yet…" And noticing Tezuka's blush that is now deep enough for very observant people to notice, she asked worriedly: "Do you have a fever? I didn't notice." Tezuka just shook his head and smiled unconsciously. "I just need to drink because it's really getting hot now, I suppose." He lied. Reina felt that he wasn't telling her something but she just let it go.

* * *

A few minutes of chatting later they both found out that neither of them can go back home before dinner, so they decided to eat lunch together. Both of them hadn't forseen at their willingness to extend their time with the other. They were unusually comfortable with the other. What made it even more peculiar was the fact that they just met a few hours ago…

Yet, both of them couldn't care any less…

* * *

INSIDE A CERTAIN FAST FOOD CHAIN CALLED JOLLIBEE

Tezuka ordered a single order of chicken barbeque with rice while Reina bought 2-piece burger steak with 2 extra rice and 1 piece chicken-sandwich accompanied by a peach mango pie and a sundae cone for dessert. Tezuka was no longer surprised at his company's big appetite. After all, just a few minutes ago she drank 12 cans of Broccoli juice in a matter of minutes.

While they eat, they started talking about their lives. Apparently Tezuka was still a junior-high student, pretty much hitting Reina conscience. She quickly apologized for her rudeness but Tezuka just said he was used to it. He goes to a familiar sounding middle school called 'Seigaku'. Reina wondered why it sounded familiar and asked Tezuka if he knows why.

"Our school is famous for our boy's tennis club." He stated as apathetically as he could.

"Oh? You're a regular there, I'm sure." She said and he nodded. She knew she isn't familiar with the school because of the tennis club, but she just let the thought go for now.

"In fact, I'm the Captain." He declares, surprising himself yet again. Normally he would just admit he's a regular. But he felt this surprising urge to show off for reasons he has yet to comprehend.

"Ehh…" She smiled, only slightly impressed since she thought that he is too good _not_ to be captain. Nevertheless, Tezuka felt a strange kind of pride.

"So, tell me about your team." She requested sweetly (On her standards, anyway). Tezuka debated himself whether or not to talk about them. He himself disliked being talked about behind his back so he wasn't so sure if it's right to talk about his friends behind _their_ backs.

Reina noticed the inner war Tezuka is experiencing. But she was really curious as to what type of people the guy hangs out with everyday.

"Hmmm… Then what about we make some sort of code name for them, then…?" she suggested. He nodded, telling her to continue.

"Hmm… Say you're codename is K-san."

"K-san?" He asked, perplexed.

"For Kunimitsu, no?" She said matter-of-factly.

Tezuka blushed a bit. He really _liked_ the way his name sounded when it comes from her mouth. He wondered if he could ask her to call him by his first name… _'NO! You idiot. You just met her.'_ He scolded himself. He just sighed.

"You don't like it?" Reina asked, Tezuka couldn't say anything.

"Mah, you don't need a codename anyway." She shrugged. "So… Describe your teammates and we'll make names for them." She offered with a smirk.

* * *

They had fun talking and commenting about the regulars. They even chuckled a lot. Although in Tezuka's case, the laughs were rather instantaneous. He always manages to stop himself from showing too much of himself… In fact, there were several moments during and even before their lunch together wherein a part of him wanted to run away. His behavior right now is considered weak in his family, and of course he didn't want that. He took great pride in his 'strength' since as far as he could remember.

And now this girl, without even trying, is ruining _everything_.

He looked at the said girl with a mix of emotions, some of which he could not describe. She was writing down the new names of his friends. She seemed enthusiastic about this for some reason…

Then she suddenly smiled, making him feel as if he was melting. She seemed to have finished her naming and told them to him as well as her reasons for choosing the names. He couldn't help but smile.

 **Moonhead-san** – The vice captain. Tezuka described the guy as a mother figure to the team (much to Reina's amusement). The vice captain also had a hairstyle that follows the curve of his head. One of his trademark techniques is name 'Moon Volley' as well.

 **Glue guy** – Be on this guy's bad side and you'll find yourself in a _sticky_ situation. He also likes Wasabi, which you can use to make paste. And there's the fact that his eyes are always closed as if they're glued together and he has a smile seemingly plastered to his face.

 **Sushi Monster** – His family owns a sushi restaurant. An aspiring Sushi chef. He is a very meek and quiet person. But when gets a hold of something his hands could grasp he turns into this over-confident, bad-mouthed, semi- English speaking dude. ' _Seems like someone who has a bad case of inferiority complex.'_ She thought to herself upon hearing Tezuka's description.

 **Neko-chan** – Simple. Tezuka described this guy as a human cat.

 **Porcupine-nii** – Tezuka said the guy's hairdo resembles a porcupine. This is person is also a data player. He, like Reina is gifted with the gift of observation. He also had opaque glasses. And hence, the honorific.

 **Bushyeyebrows-kun** – Self-explanatory.

 **Buggy-kun** – It was originally 'snake-kun' since Tezuka described him as a human snake. But it didn't sound cute at all. Also, the technique of said guy called "snake" was a version of the buggy-whip shot. Tezuka added that he always frowns, growing eye bags along the years.

.

"These are pretty accurate." Tezuka complimented. She just grinned in satisfaction.

* * *

OUTSIDE THE FAST-FOOD CHAIN

They stood there silent for a while. Now that lunch was over, there was really no reason to continue hanging out.

' _So this is goodbye then…'_ he said to himself with a hint of sadness that he didn't detect _. 'This is good, right? There was always a part of you who wanted to get away from her, anyway.'_ Right. So, why was he hesitating?

' _It's still early…'_ he muttered. _'She did say she doesn't need to be home by dinner… I certainly can't go home too early…'_

' _What the heck are you trying to say, then? You want to stay with her a while longer? Are you crazy? You get WEAK when she's around. Surely you don't want that!'_ his inner voice vehemently exclaimed.

' _Well, no…'_ He replied, not so sure anymore.

The debate went on. Normal people wouldn't notice this at all, though. Tezuka really just looked like he was on the street walking away from home and had to abruptly stop because he suddenly realized that he forgot something, and was now trying to remember what it was.

His voice of reason finally threw out his final shot: _'Well. If you WANT to be a weakling, FINE BY ME! Just don't blame me if anything humiliating happens to you - Like if you suddenly think of confe -'_

The voice was cut off by a worried Reina. "Tezuka-san?"

Tezuka blinked in surprise. "Uhmm… I…" He uncharacteristically stuttered.

"Do you have something you need to do…?" She asked. He decides to answer immediately before he engage to another inner war or something. "No, I don't." He replied as stoically as he can.

"Then, you just don't want to hang out with me any longer?" She bluntly asked, evidently offended.

"N-NO!" He raised his voice in panic but immediately caught himself. "It's just that I…" He was pretty much panicking now. He didn't know what to say to her. ' _What am I going to do?'_. This isn't just a matter of worrying because he was being rude to just knew this this is something entirely different.

Reina just frowned. _He made her sad. 'GAH!'_ he inwardly screamed. ' _Think, Tezuka, THINK.'_ He ordered himself when he remembered one of the things they were talking about earlier.

"You're just moved here from the states, right? Do you mind if I show you around?" He said coolly, frankly quite proud of himself.

"You will?" Reina asked incredulously and smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

* * *

Reina was pretty satisfied with the names she made. In a sense, she felt a bit closer to Tezuka now, since she now (in a way) knows the friends he plays with everyday. That's why she was quite enthusiastic about the naming thing. But then, at some instants, Tezuka was acting weird…Did he dislike what she was doing? Or _her_ in general? Was he just holding himself back because he was a gentleman…?

So when he offered to be her guide, she was greatly relieved of all the discomforting thoughts. He didn't seem to have unwillingly offered it at all. She was really starting to think he disliked her. After all, he frowned quite often while they were together. He also stops himself if ever he starts laughing. Then, those are those moments when it seems like he's having a war with himself. At those times she thought that he was debating himself how to tell her he needed to go and do something else…

They went to see the central library, the shopping center, the doubles-only tennis courts, and then stopped at the park to get some rest. This time, Reina bought a Ponta while Tezuka bought their new discovery – the broccoli juice. While she was drinking, she noticed the big stand-alone clock in the middle of the park. It said 4:00pm.

' _Oh, man.'_ She murmured. Tezuka noticed this (slight) change in expression and looked at what caused it. What? It's still early. _'She didn't need to go_ now _, did she?'_ He tried to convince himself. He was making quite an effort to push the thought away that he didn't notice the girl was already in front of him.

"Ano… Tezuka-san…" She muttered looking down. "I-I have to go home now…"

Tezuka blinked at her sudden appearance. She just said the words that he didn't want to hear yet. Why? Didn't they have some sort of unspoken mutual agreement that they will hang out until (before) dinner? Or was that just him after all…

"Do you have to go somewhere?" He just asked looking indifferent.

"I just said I need to go home…" She replied confused by the sudden harshness in the voice of her friend.

"Yes, but I thought that you need be home a little before dinner?" He asked, although he noticed that he sounded as if he was interrogating her. Maybe he _is_ interrogating her… What's _with_ him all of a sudden, anyway?

"You see…" Reina flushed all of a sudden, much to Tezuka's displeasure. _'Does she have a date with someone?'_ He asked himself. Wait. Why does he care anyway? It's none of his business. He quickly pushed the headache-causing thoughts away.

"I get lost so easily. It's kind of like a curse, really. In addition to that, I barely know this place. So if I don't go _now_ , I will most probably be late." She said as a-matter-of-factly.

Tezuka was relieved beyond his comprehension. He smiled, and then asked her address. Maybe he could help her find her house. Reina obliged, not questioning him at all.

"Oh? This… is just a few streets away from my house." Tezuka said, surprised…both by the strange coincidence _and_ his unreasonable glee.

"NO WAY!" She exclaimed quite shocked by the turn of events. Then she suddenly laughed "That is so cool."

Tezuka couldn't help but laugh with her. He now made no attempt on stopping himself. He remembered the constriction he put on himself earlier almost cost him well... _her._

"Tezuka-san, since I doubt I'll get lost now…" She grinned and pointed towards the theater they passed through before. "I'll treat you as a thank you."

* * *

STREETS LEADING TO THE ECHIZEN HOUSEHOLD

They talked about the movie they watched on their way to her home. The movie was Walt Disney's _Wall-E._

Reina still liked that kind of cartoon as well as animes at her age. In fact, she thinks she would never get tired of them.

Tezuka, on the other hand, _never_ watched cartoons before. He thought they were too childish. But the fact that Reina looked so _happy_ … Seeing her like that gave him strange surge of joy that suddenly pierced his body.

"AH, here we are." Reina abruptly stopped. Tezuka didn't see a house, instead he saw _stairs_ \- the type of stairs leading up to a temple.

He just looked at her suspiciously and she giggled. "My father was asked to take care of the temple by an old friend of his. So in exchange, the whole family was allowed to live there for free." Then she stared at him and asked: "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

' _I would love to'_ he wanted to reply. But that was just pushing it, he thought. They just met after all, her family will be worried.

Tezuka just replied with a soft smile. "I have to go home now, Mother will be worried. Besides, with our house _this_ close to each other, we're _bound_ to meet each other again from time to time." He said as reassurance, more to himself than to her.

"Ok, then." Reina smiled and give him a quick hug, effectively stopping his heart for a moment.

"See you soon! Ja ne!"

* * *

TEZUKA HOUSEHOLD

Ayana just finished making dinner. She wondered where her son could be; normally he would have been here 20mins ago. She was about to get worried when she heard a familiar voice say: "Tadaima."

She was startled at her son's peculiar tone of voice. It simply wasn't the emotionless and bored tone she was used to. Curious, she ran quietly to the hall.

What she saw made her heart burst out in joy.

Her son was humming... _Humming!_

… and it was accompanied by the biggest and most beautiful smile her son had ever worn.

.

.

**END OF CHAPTER III**

NEXT: **CHAPTER IV-** Exploring Tokyo - Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are so appreciated!   
> And I will no longer update this story in this website. Please go to http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7501160/3/Ryoma_x_Reina for the rest of the story. Thank you^^


	4. ExploringTokyo III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a certain Mary sue meets the resident sadist...

Please read and review! I would be so happy to read your thoughts and reactions. XD Do check out my profile from time to time as well! And finally, the Prince of Tennis fanfiction page is ready to be liked! Hehehe

Disclaimer: I WISH I own Prince of Tennis

...

CHAPTER IV: Exploring Tokyo – Day 2

ECHIZEN RESIDENCE

Echizen Reina and Karupin were both in deep slumber. The two of them looked adorable, approachable, and helpless when they are sleeping, albeit saying that to their faces will cause one his/her life. Echizen was sleeping in a fetal position, while Karupin was curled up inside the area surrounded by his mistress' body.

Karupin, the smart cat, started moving after a while. He purred here and then with his claws occasionally revealing themselves. He was still asleep, and he was having an unusual dream.

"Squeek squeek"

His eyes dilated as he heard that utterly delicious sound. His stomach suddenly growled. Hungry, he followed the attractive sound eventually finding its source. He noticed that he was actually in a desert because of the beautiful white mouse that was in front of him. It was in a small area of lushness humans call an oasis. It was oddly beautiful, especially with his prey in the middle of it.

He went to approach it but, to his dismay, it ran away. He chased it, unsure if he just wanted to play with his food or if he simply wanted to follow it. Even if it was much smaller than him, it had an unbelievable speed. But, also being quick for his size, he eventually caught up with it. But just when he was about to catch it…

The pretty white mouse disappeared.

"AH!" His mistress shouted in pain as she held one of her hands with the other. He stared at her, worried. Her expression softened, sighed, and petted him. He meowed in delight before seeing why his mistress exclaimed in the first place.

"Did you have a bad dream, Karupin?" Reina asked her cat as she patted his back with her undamaged hands. Karupin sort of retracted his claw in the wrong place at the wrong time. He meowed, but not as a reply but as an inquiry about her left hand. The cat stared at the wound for a while seemingly contemplating if he was the one at fault. She just smiled at her cat's worries. "Don't worry Karupin, its no one's fault." She reassured him as he lifted him and looked at the window.

She looked at her clock; it was already 7:30am. Normally she would be wide awake this time in the morning, but looking again at her window. It was literally pouring water. No wonder she felt even lazier than usual that day.

'And it was so sunny yesterday, darned Global warming.'

She sighed.

"It looks like I'm reading mangas today."

...

Breakfast that day was Japanese. Reina preferred Japanese food more than anything, hence making the dreadful morning a bit better.

"Gochosousama..." She said and went up to her room to take a bath. After her nice warm bath, she slumped on her bed and started reading her favorite manga of all time: One piece.

She even got one of her matching stuffed toys beside her just for the heck of it.

*One hour later*

"W-WHAT?" Reina exclaimed as she looked at the last page of the manga again. She was standing up now. "That's it?" She complained. She checked again. 'Same as before…'

"What the heck - THAT WAS THE BIGGEST CLIFF HANGER IN MANGA HISTORY!" She shouted, unsatisfied.

She lied down on her bed. Rolled all over it, thinking of what would happen next. 'Shikusoooo' She cursed.

Yes. She was obsessed with this particular anime/manga. If her father had his magazines, her mother with her cook books, and her brother his clothes; she had her 'one piece' collection (and Karupin).

It was the reason why her 'weaknesses' are kept under utter secrecy.

Reina, too, always had the latest releases in anime and manga. Her frugality disappear every time she see an amazing replica of one of the characters. She even had a wonderful collection of stuff toys and action figures, located at one side of her room. She didn't buy most of them though- they were too expensive. Her old friend/co-obsessor (No, there is no such word) was responsible for sponsoring this hoarding business. He was the one who, after all, introduced her to the series in the first place.

Still unsettled, she opened her desktop. She wanted to know when the next volume would come out.

And a few clicks later, her eyes started twitching uncharacteristically again.

"Today?" She exclaimed. She looked at the clock. 8:45am.

The shop opens in 15mins. And considered how quickly it gets sold out….

She looked outside. "Seems like the rain has subsided for now…" She said and jumped out of the chair to swiftly put on casual clothing and her glasses before running down stairs and picked up a random umbrella just lying near the door.

'I will get you, latest volume.' She swore. 'I promise.'

...

BOOKSTORE, An hour later

Huff... Huff...

She finally reached the bookstore, panting. 'Darn it! Of all the times to get lost -'She said to herself irritably, as if this was one of the few times she got lost.

She went inside after taking a deep breath and there it there was only one freaking copy left!

She 'walked' as fast as she could to the rack containing the lone comic book without looking around for she didn't want to be distracted. When she finally got a hold of it, she was definitely relieved. Sure, it no longer had a plastic cover, but it definitely still did look good enough.

She excitedly lifted it, but when she was about to pull it towards her… well, she couldn't. It was as if the book refused to go with her. "Do you hate me?"she asked it with a worried face.

Moments later, her sight of reason came back and she realized that it didn't hate her- there was just another hand pulling it away from her. Her eyes twitched.

"Who are you?" She asked the boy with a pretty feminine face as she glared at him. He had a relatively long honey-brown hair, and his eyes looked (almost) closed all the way because of that fake smile stuck on his face. 'Isn't that just uncomfortable?'

"I'm afraid I am not obliged to answer that. And could you please let go of this manga? I saw it first, you know." He answered with a constant expression.

"Are you really a boy?" She asked.

"What makes you ask that?" The boy returned the question.

"Well, shouldn't you be a gentleman and let me, a girl, have it instead. Besides, I don't believe you saw it first. " She stated stoically.

"Ah… But I'm not a boy." He smiled his fake smile. This caught her of guard, she was pretty sure the guy is male. Her hand loosened and the boy quickly took advantage. 'My manga!' She shouted internally in despair as her eyes followed the figure heading towards the counter.

She quickly regained her composure and ran after her. She was really quick, she noted. She even deduced she's probably an athlete, but Reina would not lose when it came to speed. She walked as fast as she could and soon overtook the taller girl. She quickly grabbed money from her wallet and placed it on the counter the other girl just placed the manga in her rush. The oblivious cashier took Reina's money and the next thing the other girl knew, Reina was already out the door giving off a satisfied (and not to mention arrogant) smirk.

Back in the shop, the other girl's eyes were wide open and she stared at the direction Reina went. She was then standing at where Reina was several seconds prior, and watched her go. She could not help but smile in amusement.

"Aiya… She sure got me there."

And after a few minutes of remaining in a daze, she finally gestured to go home. There was nothing to do there, after all. As she walked, she tilted her head up to the sky and smiled at the interesting events that happened to him.

She chuckled mentally at that girl's face.

Fuji Syusuke was not a girl. But he couldn't help himself. It was just so fun playing around with people, especially when you had nothing better to do.

-Flashback-

His day started relatively normal. He woke up at around 8am in the morning, ate breakfast, and took a bath. When he went downstairs, he found his sister and she smiled at him. "Syusuke"

"Yes, nee-chan?" He answered. His sister was taller than him, had curly orange hair, and was said to be one of the most popular girl in her college.

"Are you going out today?" She inquired.

"Hmm… depends. Do you have anything you want me to do?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, yes." She replied as she gave him a piece of paper. "It's a book I reserved a while back. It seems like they'll be having it today. Mind getting it for me? It's in our favorite bookstore."

"No problem, nee-chan. I'm planning on buying a new book for a past time, anyway." He smiled and went upstairs to get ready.

He walked rather slowly and reached the bookstore in about 30 minutes. He entered and got his sister's book and bought one for himself. He noticed that there was a rack surrounded by people. He watched it for a while and saw that the said shelf contained a very popular manga. Not even an hour after the bookstore opened and there's only one copy left. He liked the anime, but he never thought of reading the manga. So there was no reason to start now.

Well that's what he decided, before he saw her.

She entered the bookstore, looking a bit haggard. She has black hair with length just slightly below her shoulders. She also wore huge opaque glasses which reminded him of his teammate. She looked around the bookstore until her eyes set on the rack. Even though most of her face was covered – particularly her eyes, he still thought that she had a really pretty smile. She walked quickly to her target without looking around. She was definitely fast, Fuji was impressed. And Fuji, being the person that he was, quickly went to the same spot tease the poor girl.

"Do you hate me?" She asked the manga with a seriously sad face. He couldn't not chuckle. He watched her amusingly as she had come to the realization that the manga didn't hate her.

Soon enough, she asked him who he was and even when he couldn't see her eyes, he knew that she was glaring at him. The girl had an unusually strong yet comforting presence. He wouldn't forget about her anytime soon, he knew. So he wanted her to remember him.

"I'm not a boy." He told her, she had an adorable reaction. While she was still dumbstruck, he quickly went for the counter. Along the short way there, for the first time in his life, he doubted his motives. Would he go as far as spending quite a bit of yen to tease a girl he met only 2 minutes prior? Just what did he hope to achieve?

"That'll be 1000 yen, Miss." A woman's voice said. He quickly returned to his senses when he realized that the 'Miss' was that girl with the opaque glasses. She was holding the manga (now on a paper bag) that was in his hand just a moment ago.

And before he knew it she was out the door, turned to look at him through the transparent glass of the door, and smirked.

...

SOMEWHERE IN TOKYO

Reina was walking home for a while now. She didn't want to look at her watch since it'll only stress her out. Experience taught her that knowing the time would not help with her cursed sense of direction.

As she was walking and looking for familiar places, the humidity of the air changed. The smell…

'It's going to rain.' She predicted. Her brother, being a meteorology student, taught her some stuff.

She started walking faster, looking more carefully for familiar spots. She hoped to be home before it rained, but no such luck. Not long after, she felt droplets of water in her skin. She knew that getting wet in the rain nowadays was way unhealthier than during her brother's childhood.

She quickly opened the umbrella she randomly picked up. But when she opened it her eyes widened in despair, again. Most of the stretchers were beyond repair and a hole the size of her palm covered an area near the center. She groaned and then cursed her father. He was the only one in the house idiotic enough to bring this much damage. She growled internally.

'Baka Oyaji! I will soooo make sure too show Mom his secret stash (of you-know-what) I just found.' 

She looked at her new bought manga. 'Well, at least I still have you…' she smiled and then it hit her.

It doesn't have the plastic cover anymore!

She walked even faster, trying to cover the package with her head. Unfortunately, all too soon, the rain got heavier. 'My manga!' She uncharacteristically cried in despair. The third friggin' time today… must be a new record or something.

She was now running, desperately looking for a shelter. She couldn't find one… not until one found her...

She looked up. It was blue. The umbrella was blue. It was held a person with an eerily familiar face.

"Hello, there. Long time no see." He smiled at his sarcastic comment.

"You…" Reina glared at the person. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question." The person asked.

Her glare turned to a sad frown. "I'm looking for a shade." She answered and lifted her now-wet manga to his face.

"Oh." The girl expressed emphatically. "I know a good shade, and it's only a few steps away."

"W-What do you mean?" She looked around her. "I don't see anything."

"Ah… See that?" The person said keeping his smile and pointed to the house behind her. She reflexively turned around.

"That's my house."

Silence

"Where is your house, exactly?" She asked, he told her an unfamiliar street name. She just stared, effectively telling the girl/boy that she had no idea where she was. She/He chuckled, and Reina immediately glared at her/him. The androgynous person, being relatively immune to her glares, just smiled.

"Would you like to go inside?"

"I can't. My parents are expecting me to be home by lunch time."

She/He pondered for a second. "Ah… But isn't it already 11:45am?"

Reina's eyes widened at the revelation. "Oh crap."

The boy/girl smiled and she narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just thought of something really nice of me to think of."

...

"You don't have to do this. I don't want to be a bother..." Reina asked a bit guiltily at the guy who introduced himself/herself as Fuji Syusuke. After putting his/her grocery bags inside the house, he/she offered to take her home, seeing her umbrella looked like it was played with by a bear. It was still pouring, so Reina reluctantly agreed.

"Maa.. It's fine. You could say I feel a bit bad about lying to you about me getting my hands on your manga first."

"No surprise there." She smirked. "But, aren't you hungry? It's lunch time already."

"I already ate a huge taco on the way home so I'm not really that hungry." He replied patting his stomach to make his point.

"I'll let you borrow my manga after I read it, then. You know, as payback." Fuji blinked. After years of lying, he became good at it and even became immune to the guilt that accompanied it. So why did he feel so bad about lying to her? He internally shook his head of the disturbing thoughts.

"I'm flattered, but I never really read the manga before. I just thought it'd be fun to make fun of you." He said trying to sound as playful as his usual teasing self.

She just stared at him blankly and asked if there's something else he was lying about… like his real gender. Fuji blinked again. He totally forgot that he said that. 'Why was I lying that time again?' He asked himself trying to think of a good reply.

"I'm actually male." He stated making sure he still had his usual facade on.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed as if she had a bet with herself. He smiled.

"So, I'm a bit curious as to what you were doing during all those hours and how you ended up in front of my house." He blurted out out-of-nowhere.

"I got lost." She said bluntly. He chuckled. Reina stared for an uncomfortably long minute.

"What?" He asked a bit confused and somewhat intimidated at the girl's stare, which was really odd since he couldn't even see her eyes. To be intimidated by eyes you couldn't see was, well, disconcerting.

"It's nothing big, really." She said coolly. "I was just wondering why you put on that fake smile all the time when you had such a nice real one."

He turned away slight, fairly sure how his cheeks was on-fire. "How r-rude. I do not have a fake smile." He denied as composed himself as quickly as he could, even when he knew that what she was saying was true. His fake smile returned, and Reina sighed sadly. They remained quiet for a few minutes after that.

The silence was broken when they encountered a ruff-looking guy with a green bandanna, jogging in the rain. The guy stopped after seeing Fuji and bowed for a moment and mumbled "G-Good afternoon, Senpai…" before looking at her. Then he stared at Fuji again, then it slowly found its way back to her. He blushed, obviously assuming something wrong. Fuji flinched for a mini-second.

"Ne. Kaidoh, if you keep wasting your training time staring at us I'm going to ask Inui to give you his latest drink." He said with a disturbing smirk on his face. Kaidoh shivered as he heard the words 'Inui' and 'juice' in the same sentence. He quickly said goodbye and hurriedly continued his jogging, visibly shaken by Fuji's words.

"Inui's juice…? Who's Inui? And what's so scary about his juice?" Reina asked, curious.

Fuji replied, still maintaining his usual facade, "Inui's juice is healthy for you, I personally like it's taste. But for some reason most people faint after taking a sip…" He grinned evilly. "Ah, and Inui is my partner in sadism at our school."

"Partner in sadism?" She asked looking a bit perplexed. Fuji raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm a sadist." He stated.

Reina's eyebrows met almost immediately. "You're a sadist?" She asked... in a way that surprised Fuji getting him open his eyes completely.

'What is with this girl?' he questioned internally. What Reina said was not unusual. It was the tone of her voice that was. It brusquely stated: You're a sadist? No, you're not."

He stopped in his tracks. Reina noticed when she felt raindrops on her skin; she quickly walked backwards til' she reached the cover of the umbrella. She turned around and was supposed to ask why he stopped when she saw him just staring at her with eyes wide open.

"You sound like you don't believe me." He muttered as he stared through her glasses in an attempt to get through to her eyes. Reina stood there frozen at the sight of Fuji's beautiful cerulean eyes.

'How beautiful…So many different emotions I can se-'

"E-Echizen-san. What makes you think I'm not a sadist?" He barely managed to utter. He was dumbstruck, to say the least. This girl who he just met a few hours prior just told him what he wanted to hear- ever since his change all those years ago… since the time his brother started hating him.

"You don't smell like one…" She mumbled as she continued to stare at his eyes, slightly blushing.

Fuji suddenly felt shy of her gaze and immediately closed his eyes. 'Why am I the one getting shy? Isn't it always the other way around?' he asked himself in a worried and confused voice.

"Smell?"

"Yeah, it's a way I have for describing people…"

"You seem confident in your judgment." He spat, trying to sound as if he's mocking her.

"I am. I was never wrong, you know. Besides, I got another proof that you're lying on being a sadist just now, too." She declared.

"W-what..?" He somehow reluctantly asked.

"Your eyes… They're too pretty to be the eyes of a sadist." She stated (as a matter-of-factly) and looked right into his eyes again as if requesting for his eyelids to open completely one more time. He just stood there like a stone for a while, and then started walking once he could manage to do so. Reina went after him.

"You're gonna be late. Your parents are going to worry. Let's just hurry." He muttered under his breath as he bowed his head while he was walking. He was walking in such a hurry that Reina had to concentrate on following him.

She didn't notice the deep red shade of red pasted on Fuji's face.

ECHIZEN RESIDENCE

"You live in a temple?" He asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice.

"What are you being so skeptical about?" She asked, offended.

"Nothing."

"Come in." She gestured as she stood in front of the doorway. He hesitated for a bit, but seeing Reina look at him he suddenly felt like going inside. And upon entering, they immediately heard frantic footsteps.

"REINA! You're an hour late! I was ssoo worried! And don't 'I got lost' me, young lady! You know that you should always a lot at least 2 hours before the agreed time! Your father and brother are in the police station arranging a search party, you kn—" Echizen Rinko suddenly stopped her shouting when she saw someone else besides her Reina on the doorway.

She just stared at them for a while and excused herself. They were walking in the hallway when they heard Rinko talking with someone via phone. With their enhanced hearing they managed to hear her words.

Rinko frowned at the incoherence of her husband's brain. "Yes dear, you should go back now... Tell them to stop then, I told you she's already here!" then a sudden evil smirk crept up her face. "And she's with a boy."

Sil- "NANIIIIIIII?" The person on the other side shouted so loud that even the kids could hear. The two revealed themselves and went closer to her when all-of-a-sudden the door slammed open. Two pairs of heavy stomps went to their direction.

Fuji felt a sudden chill behind his back.

"WHO ARE YOU!" A handsome young-man looking more or less 20 years old shouted as he pointed 'the' finger on the stranger who had his back on them at the moment.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?" An older not-so-good-looking man in a monk outfit cried.

And then both of them started muttering and shouting and crying incoherent sentences as they went closer and closer to the poor boy cornering him on the wall when a pair of knuckles hit each of them in the head.

"Urusai! What are you doing here so quickly anyway? Weren't you in the police station just a minute ago?" Rinko shouted. They had an even more dramatic reaction than she anticipated. 'Did they teleport or something?'She muttered angrily to herself. She told them Reina's with a boy so they would hurry home, but she thought she'd have some time to talk with them first. She sighed and looked at her daughter.

"So...Start talking."

...

They all ate lunch together as Reina explained to them what happened. A bit of relief came to her over-protective father and brother. She was much too young to have a boyfriend, after all.

"Meow…" A sound Reina adored was suddenly heard in the dining room.

"Ah, Karupin was really worried about you too. I think he went outside to look for you." Reina, touched by her pet's love, immediately stood up to go get the now wet-because-of-the-rain feline.

For some reason, Fuji swiftly stood up at the sight of Reina as she entered with her soaking cat. "Diego!" He shouted, startling everyone around him. He then noticed the spectacle he made, quickly sat down, and muttered an apology.

"Fuj-?" She was about to ask him what happened when Karupin suddenly jumped from her to the table and then to Fuji.

The feline licked him in the face and hugged him as much as a cat could hug. Reina felt annoyed at her precious cat's intimacy with a person who called him by a different name.

Fuji saw her expression and chuckled. "Gomen, Echizen. It's just that I knew this cat from before."

"Really?" She asked skeptically, it's been 6 years since she got her cat and he was in the states the whole time.

He nodded "I was his owner."

The Echizens just stared at him.

"Before we lived in our house here in Tokyo, we lived in an apartment. Pets weren't allowed there." He said as he petted Karupin.

They stared again, telling him to go on.

"He was a stray and I wanted to adopt him. But since I'm not allowed to I found him an abandoned place near our apartment to stay. I visit him every so often." Karupin meowed happily. "But then a transfer student found out about it and he decided to buy it. He moved back to wherever he lived in after a month, so I never got to know what happened to him after that."

He chuckled and looked at the family around him.

"It seems like he found a good home."

...

"Are you sure?" She asked him (with great relief) if he really didn't want to take Karupin (or Diego) back with him since they no longer live in an apartment. They were now outside the door, and Reina was seeing him out.

"He loves you more than he will ever love me." Fuji stated looking at Reina with knowing eyes. "He's happy here. And I'm happy for him." He patted Diego's, who was in Reina's arms, head. Then, he saw a small bad-aid on her left palm.

"You were injured? I didn't notice–" He said with guilt in his voice.

"Of course you didn't. I hid it pretty well. I'd be annoyed if you did. Which is what I'm feeling now…" She replied and he laughed. He abruptly took her left hand. He lifted it up to the level of his chest and gently stripped the band-aid away. He saw claw-marks, and his gaze softened even more.

'Diego did this.' He concluded. He understood how much Diego loved his mistress, and how bad he must have felt for doing this… His mind automatically went to look for a solution to the problem, and something came.

No, it was not a solution. But an impulse. His body moved on it's own, slightly to his chagrin.

For without thinking- he kissed her palm.

.

.

END OF CHAPTER IV

NEXT:  
CHAPTER V: First day of School

...

Thank you for reading. :D

Please pause before going anywhere and think about writing something below or even checking those check-boxes! They would make me soooo happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CP: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7501160/4/Ryoma-x-Reina

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this story months ago in Fanfiction.net. My username as well as the title of the story is the same. All of my stories are ahead there, so feel free to read them there.
> 
> Reviews/ comments/ critiques are greatly appreciated!


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